Catherine Paradis

Are Online Gamblers More At Risk Than Offline Gamblers

OBJECTIVES To characterize and compare sociodemographic profiles, game-play patterns, and level of addictive behaviors among adults who gamble online and those who do not, and to examine if, at the population level, online gambling is associated with more risky behaviors than offline gambling. METHODS Respondents were 8,456 offline gamblers and 111 online gamblers who participated in a population-based survey conducted in the province of Québec, in 2009. The study sample is representative of adult general population. RESULTS There is an unequal distribution of online gambling in the population. A disproportionate number of men, young people, and students say they participate in online gambling. Poker players are overrepresented among online gamblers and gambling behaviors tend to be more excessive on the Internet. Compared with offline gamblers, online gamblers report more co-occurring risky behaviors, namely alcohol and cannabis use. CONCLUSION Those who gamble online appear to be more at risk for gambling-related problems, but the present findings alone cannot be used as evidence for that conclusion. Future research designs could combine longitudinal data collection and multilevel analyses to provide more insight into the causal mechanisms associated with online gambling.

The importance of drinking frequency in evaluating individuals' drinking patterns: implications for the development of national drinking guidelines

AIMS This paper examines the relationship between frequency of drinking, usual daily consumption and frequency of binge drinking, taking into consideration possible age and gender differences. PARTICIPANTS AND DESIGN Subjects were 10 466 current drinkers (5743 women and 4723 men) aged between 18 and 76 years, who participated in the GENACIS Canada (GENder Alcohol and Culture: an International Study) study. SETTING Canada. MEASUREMENTS The independent variable was the annual drinking frequency. The dependent variables were the usual daily quantity consumed, annual, monthly and weekly frequency of binge drinking (five drinks or more on one occasion). FINDINGS Logistic regressions show (i) that those who drink less than once a week are less likely than weekly drinkers to take more than two drinks when they do drink; (ii) that the usual daily quantity consumed by weekly drinkers is not related to their frequency of drinking; but that (iii) the risk and frequency of binge drinking increase with the frequency of drinking. CONCLUSIONS Given that risk and frequency of binge drinking among Canadians increases with their frequency of drinking, any public recommendation to drink moderately should be made with great caution.

Positional Role Changes and Drinking Patterns: Results of a Longitudinal Study

This study of heavily drinking males in the general population assesses the effect of positional role changes on drinking behaviors. The data are derived from a longitudinal study over a three-year period (1992–1995) of a representative sample of 617 male heavy drinkers from the Quebec (Canada) adult population. Three types of positional roles have been examined: employment, marital, and parental status. This study examined two dimensions of the drinking pattern: the annual frequency of drinking and the annual frequency of five drinks or more on a single occasion. Standard multiple regression analyses were conducted independently for each dimension of the drinking patterns. Results indicated that baseline annual frequency and baseline annual frequency of five drinks or more per occasion were the main predictors of both drinking patterns under study. Furthermore, positional role changes contributed to explain the Δ1992–1995 annual frequency of drinking, but marginally. Men who reported a childs birth between 1992 and 1995 reduced their annual frequency of drinking, while men who reported being unemployed in 1992 and in 1995 increased their annual frequency of drinking. Further research should take into account the qualitative aspects of positional roles.

A cross-cultural comparison of population gambling patterns and regulatory frameworks: France and Québec.

Few empirical studies have examined the relationships between differing regulatory approaches and patterns of gambling behaviors. This article reports on a correlational cross-cultural comparison of differences in the regulatory approaches and gambling behavior among general adult populations in France and Québec, Canada. We drew data from two large population surveys conducted in France and Québec (N=27 653 and N=11 888, respectively). We found diverging and converging aspects of government regulatory policies. Statistical analyses demonstrated significantly higher participation rates and prevalence of ‘assiduous gamblers’ in Québec. In France, among assiduous gamblers, the proportion of moderate-risk and probable pathological gamblers is significantly higher. Future research should examine environmental conditions and varying gambling offerings, as well as gambling regulation, to determine their potential influence on gambling behaviors.

Gender, gambling settings and gambling behaviours among undergraduate poker players

Abstract A gender divide in gambling is commonly observed among college populations. This study examines whether settings where students gamble on poker mediate the relationship between gender and poker gambling behaviours. Undergraduate poker players, 126 females and 242 males, were randomly sampled from three universities in Montreal, Canada. Three outcomes measuring risky behaviours were considered: severity of gambling problems as measured by the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), past-year poker spending and past-year poker debt. Multiple mediation analyses were conducted. The effect of gender on outcomes was analysed through three putative mediators: gambling on poker in private residences, in public locations or on the Internet. Male gender positively relates to risky gambling behaviours and occurrence of gambling in various settings. Risky gambling behaviours are positively related to gambling in various settings. Overall, the occurrence of playing poker in public locations and on the Internet emerged as significant mediators in relation to PGSI score, past-year poker spending and past-year poker debt. Given the nature of the processes by which gender is related to risky gambling behaviours among undergraduate students, gambling needs to be understood through a perspective that focuses as much on contexts as it does on individuals.

A research plan to define Canada’s first low-risk gambling guidelines

Abstract From a public health perspective, gambling shares many of the same characteristics as alcohol. Notably, excessive gambling is associated with many physical and emotional health harms, including depression, suicidal ideation, substance use and addiction and greater utilization of health care resources. Gambling also demonstrates a similar ‘dose-response’ relationship as alcohol—the more one gambles, the greater the likelihood of harm. Using the same collaborative, evidence-informed approach that produced Canada’s Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking and Lower Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines, a research team is leading the development of the first national Low-Risk Gambling Guidelines (LRGGs) that will include quantitative thresholds for safe gambling. This paper describes the research methodology and the decision-making process for the project. The guidelines will be derived through secondary analyses of several large population datasets from Canada and other countries, including both cross-sectional and longitudinal data on over 50 000 adults. A scientific committee will pool the results and put forward recommendations for LRGGs to a nationally representative, multi-agency advisory committee for endorsement. To our knowledge, this is the first systematic attempt to generate a workable set of LRGGs from population data. Once validated, the guidelines inform public health policy and prevention initiatives and will be disseminated to addiction professionals, policy makers, regulators, communication experts and the gambling industry. The availability of the LRGGs will help the general public make well-informed decisions about their gambling activities and reduce the harms associated with gambling.